MLS Houston Dynamo FC

Houston Dynamo Game Notes -- July 3 vs. Chicago Fire

Published on July 2, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Houston Dynamo FC News Release


Houston Dynamo vs. Chicago Fire

Tuesday, 3 July 2012 - 7:30 p.m. CT

MLS regular season - Game #17 - Home Game #7

BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston

Broadcast Information

TV: KPRC 2

Radio: SportsTalk 790 AM (English), La Ranchera 850 AM (Spanish)

Dynamo vs. Fire - Dynamo host Chicago in key Eastern Conference Tilt

The Houston Dynamo (6-5-5; 23 points) host the Chicago Fire (8-5-3; 27 points) on Tuesday at BBVA Compass Stadium. The fixture represents a key Eastern Conference matchup, with the Dynamo trailing the Fire by four points for fourth place in the conference standings. The Dynamo earned a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, with goals from Brad Davis and Brian Ching. The Fire won its third consecutive game on Friday, a 1-0 win at Sporting Kansas City with a goal from Marco Pappa. Tuesday marks the second of three meetings between Houston and Chicago in 2012. The Dynamo and Fire drew 1-1 at Toyota Park on April 15 in a match that was suspended in the 66th minute due to a lightning storm. The Dynamo return to Chicago on Sept. 2 for the final regular season meeting between the clubs.

Houston vs. Chicago

The Dynamo are 6-3-4 in regular season meetings with the Fire, including the 1-1 draw on April 15 at Chicago. In that meeting, Will Bruin scored his first goal of the season, off an assist from Brian Ching, for a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute. Just three minutes later the Fire equalized with a deflected goal from a free kick. Pavel Pardo took a free kick from 25 yards that deflected off the back of Logan Pause and into the net for the tying goal. The game included a 70-minute weather delay in the first half before the second delay ended the match after 66 minutes. The clubs drew 1-1 in both meetings in 2011. The Dynamo won five consecutive games against the Fire from July 7, 2007 to Aug. 9, 2009. Houston is 3-2-1 in home games against Chicago.

DYNAMO PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (4-3-3, Right-Left)

Tally Hall;

Andre Hainault, Bobby Boswell, Jermaine Taylor, Corey Ashe;

Luiz Camargo, Geoff Cameron, Brad Davis;

Boniek Garcia, Will Bruin, Macoumba Kandji

Dynamo Notes

Dynamo newcomer Boniek Garca makes impressive debut: Honduran midfielder Boniek Garca made his debut in the Dynamo starting lineup on Saturday and made immediate contributions. Garca began the sequence and earned an assist on Brad Davis' opening goal and was a part of the buildup before Brian Ching earned a penalty kick in the second half. Garca played 90 minutes in his MLS debut. The 27-year-old Designated Player has played for Honduran powerhouse C.D. Olimpia since 2007 after his first tenure with the club from 2003-06. With Garca, Olimpia captured the 2011-12 Honduran League Apertura and Clausura championships. The midfielder debuted for the Honduras national team in 2005 and has 69 appearances for his country, including five appearances in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Dynamo will face Olimpia in CONCACAF Champions League group play on Aug. 30 in Honduras and Oct. 23 in Houston.

Ching ties Preki on MLS all-time goal list: Dynamo forward Brian Ching scored his 79th career MLS regular season goal with his game-winning penalty on Saturday vs. Philadelphia. Ching tied Preki, the Serbian-born U.S. international who tallied 79 goals for Kansas City and Miami from 1996-2005. With Ching's next goal, he will tie Josh Wolff (active player for D.C. United) and Brian McBride for 12th on the all-time scoring list.

Ching passes Ralston on game-winning goals list: Ching's goal on Saturday also marked his 20th career MLS regular season game-winning goal. The game-winner moved Ching past Dynamo assistant coach Steve Ralston, New York forward Kenny Cooper and Roy Lassiter for 12th on the all-time chart.

Davis passes De Ro for second on Dynamo scoring list: Brad Davis' goal in the first half on Saturday was his 25th regular season goal with the Dynamo. He moved past Dwayne De Rosario into second on the franchise list.

Houston's Home Streak: The Dynamo have not lost a home game in over a year, with their last home defeat on June 18, 2011, a 2-0 loss to the Columbus Crew. The Dynamo are unbeaten in 15 consecutive home games (playoffs included), spanning the final nine games at Robertson Stadium and the first six games at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Dynamo productive in final 15 minute: Ching's goal in the 83rd minute on Saturday was Houston's sixth goal in the final 15 minutes of games this year. The Dynamo are tied for fourth in the league in goals scored in the final 15 minutes (San Jose leads with 11). Last year, Houston scored 14 goals in the final 15 minutes of games, the second most in MLS (Seattle).

Dynamo are defensive in final 15 minutes: While the Dynamo have scored six goals in the final 15 minutes of games this year, they have allowed just one goal in the final quarter hour (June 23, at Montreal). Houston and Chicago (1 goal each) are tied for the fewest goals allowed in the final 15 minutes of games.

East Coast Bias: The Dynamo are currently in a stretch of 14 consecutive games against Eastern Conference teams. Houston is 2-3-4 vs. the Eastern Conference, but six of the nine games were played on the road. The next time the Dynamo face a team from the Western Conference is Sept. 6, when they host Real Salt Lake.

Bruin bags ninth goal: Dynamo forward Will Bruin scored his ninth goal of the season with a first-half equalizer in on June 23 at Montreal. The second-year forward is tied for third in the MLS Golden Boot race with Thierry Henry and Chris Pontius. The trio tied for this place trail Chris Wondolowski (14 goals) and Kenny Cooper (11).

Bruin in historic Dynamo territory: Bruin's 9 goals are the most for a Dynamo player since Brian Ching set a franchise record with 13 goals in 2008. Bruin reached 9 goals in the fastest number of games (15) in team history. Ching reached 9 goals in Houston's 16th game in 2006, but Ching missed six of those games due to U.S. men's national team duties for the 2006 World Cup. Ching scored his ninth goal of 2006 in his tenth game of the season. Bruin's 9 goals in 2012 have come in a 12-game stretch (April 15 at Chicago to present). The next two best goal-scoring stretches in Dynamo history are Ching in 2008, when he scored 9 goals in his first 18 games played (the 9 goals came in a 12-game stretch) and Dwayne De Rosario, who scored 9 goals in a 21-game span in 2006.

Three in a row for Bruin: Will Bruin scored in three consecutive games (6/16, 6/20, 6/23) for the second time this season (4/15, 4/21, 4/28), with four goals in each three-game scoring streak. He is the first Dynamo player with a pair of three-game scoring streaks in the same season, and just the second player to record two streaks overall (Ching). His current streak marks the sixth time a Dynamo player has scored in three consecutive games (Bruin 2012 (twice); Ching 2006, 2008; Joseph Ngwenya 2007; Stuart Holden 2009). No Dynamo player has ever scored in four consecutive games.

More Bruin: Bruin has 14 regular season goals in his two-year career. With his next goal, he will tie Stuart Holden for fourth on the franchise list. Bruin has already surpassed his 2011 total for shots on goal, with 24 this year after posting 23 shots on goal in 2011.

Ching ties Mullan for second on assists chart: With his assist on June 23 at Montreal, Brian Ching reached 19 regular season assists with the Dynamo to move into a tie for second with Brian Mullan on the franchise list.

Champions League schedule announced: The Dynamo learned its schedule in Group 3 of the 2012-2013 CONCACAF Champions League on June 22. Houston will open group play with two road games - Aug. 22 at C.D. FAS of El Salvador and Aug. 30 at C.D. Olimpia of Honduras. The Dynamo will host FAS on Sept. 20 and Olimpia on Oct. 23 at BBVA Compass Stadium. The group winner will advance to the quarterfinals, set for March 2013. The Dynamo qualified for the tournament by advancing to the 2011 MLS Cup Final. This is the fifth appearance for the Dynamo in the regional championship, including semifinal runs in the 2007 and 2008 Champions Cup tournaments. It is the first appearance for the Dynamo in Champions League since they advanced to the quarterfinals in 2008-2009.

Boswell is Mr. Reliable: Dynamo defender Bobby Boswell has played full time in 26 consecutive MLS matches (playoffs included) dating to Sept. 14, 2011 at Columbus. The center back is the only Dynamo field player to play every minute of every MLS game in 2012. Boswell has now started 127 regular season games with the Dynamo and is tied with Brian Mullan for third on the franchise list.

Corey Ashe made has 184th appearances for the Dynamo in all competitions on Saturday and is now tied with Brian Mullan for second on the franchise list for appearances in all competitions.

Cameron passes Barrett on games list: With Geoff Cameron's start on Saturday, he reached 99 MLS regular season starts, passing Dynamo assistant coach Wade Barrett for sixth on the Dynamo all-time list.

Hall sets goalkeeper consecutive starts record: Goalkeeper Tally Hall set a franchise record for consecutive starts by a goalkeeper with his 47th consecutive starts against FC Dallas on June 16. He broke the record of 46 games set by Pat Onstad from Sept. 13, 2008 - May 13, 2010. Hall started all 34 games in 2011 and the first 16 games in 2012, pushing the active record to 50 games. Hall has the second longest active streak of consecutive starts among MLS goalkeepers.

Wonderful vs. West: With the 2-1 win over FC Dallas on June 16, the Dynamo improved to 4-2-1 on the season against the heralded Western Conference. Houston has wins against FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, San Jose and Chivas USA.

Ching third on Dynamo games played list: Ching started on June 16 vs. FC Dallas for his 137th MLS regular season game with the Dynamo. He passed Brian Mullan and Pat Onstad for third on Houston's all-time regular season games list.

Second Half Savants: Houston's 2-1 victory over the Union on Saturday improved its record to 6-1-4 when tied or leading at the break. The Dynamo are 3-1-4 in games in which they were tied at halftime and 3-0 when leading at halftime. Houston is 0-4-1 when trailing at the interval after its comeback draw with Toronto on June 20.

Possession: The Dynamo have won the possession battle in 13 of 16 games on the season. Houston had 55% possession vs. the Philadelphia on Saturday, lost the possession battle, 53-47%, at Montreal, had a 63% possession advantage vs. Toronto, 54% against FC Dallas, 54% at Vancouver, 60% vs. LA, 62% at New England, 60% vs. Portland, 56% vs. D.C., 53% at New York, 54% at D.C., a 49-51% disadvantage at Columbus, 55% at Chicago, 56% at Seattle, a disadvantage (48-52%) at San Jose, and 53% at Chivas USA.

Cameron, Hainault, Taylor, Watson return from national duty: Three members of Houston's heralded backline and regular starting midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson returned from national duty for the June 16 match against FC Dallas after missing the June 10 game at Vancouver. Geoff Cameron played the second half off USA's 1-1 draw at Guatemala on June 12. The center back also played 90 minutes in a friendly vs. Scotland on May 26. Andre Hainault was called in by Canada and played 90 minutes in a friendly vs. the U.S. and 90 minutes in both of Canada's Olympic qualifiers against Cuba and Honduras to reach 28 caps. Watson started three matches for Jamaica, including a 2-1 win over Guatemala and a 0-0 draw vs. Antigua & Barbuda in a pair of qualifying matches. Taylor did not appear in any of the three games for Jamaica.

Clark hits 125 MLS games: Dynamo midfielder Colin Clark played in his 125th career regular season game on June 23.

75 assists for Davis: Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis recorded his 75th assist for the Dynamo in all competitions with his corner kick that Andre Hainault headed in for the winning goal vs. the Galaxy on May 26. Davis is Houston's all-time assist leader.

First Comeback Win: The Dynamo recorded a 2-1 win on May 26 over the LA Galaxy for their first come-from-behind win of the season. Prior to the Galaxy game, the Dynamo were 0-3-1 on the season when allowing the first goal of the game.

Daytime Dominance: Houston's 3-1 loss at Vancouver on June 10 was its first loss in a day game this season, with its record dropping to 4-1. The Dynamo have daytime wins over Chivas USA, San Jose, D.C. United and the Galaxy. The Dynamo are 2-4-5 at night, but eight of the 11 night games have been on the road. Houston has two more day games this season (July 28 at Toronto FC and Sept. 29 at Philadelphia).

Cameron's streak ends: Geoff Cameron missed the May 26 game with the Galaxy while playing for the U.S. in its 5-1 win over Scotland. It was the first MLS game that Cameron missed since May 4, 2011 vs. Colorado. Prior to May 26, Cameron had started and played full time in 40 consecutive matches (playoffs included), the longest streak among Houston field players in team history. Cameron played 3,576 consecutive minutes in MLS play (playoffs included) before his latest absence. In a similar feat, Brad Davis' streak of 45 consecutive starts was broken at Chicago on April 15 due to a calf strain.

BBVA Compass Stadium opener: The Dynamo opened the 13th soccer-specific stadium in Major League Soccer on May 12. On a gorgeous, 82-degree day in front of a sell-out crowd of 22,039, the Dynamo honored past legends, including Wade Barrett, Pat Onstad, Eddie Robinson and Craig Waibel in a pregame ceremony that included the unveiling of 2006 and 2007 MLS Cup championship banners. Brad Davis provided a signature opening moment, delivering a beautiful, curling 30-yard strike for the game-winning goal in the 67th minute.

Clutch: Luiz Camargo's 87th-minute equalizer at New England on May 19 was Houston's third late goal on the road this season. Brian Ching's equalizer in the 81st minute at Columbus on April 21 and Hainault's game-winner two minutes into stoppage time at Chivas USA on March 11 were also reminiscent of 2011 for the Dynamo. Last year, Houston scored 14 goals in the final 15 minutes of games, the second most in MLS (Seattle).

Six years after the club's first match on April 2, 2006, only two players remain on the Dynamo roster: Brian Ching and Brad Davis. Defender Eddie Robinson retired in January and joined the front office as an assistant coach with the team's Youth Academy and as a color analyst on TV broadcasts.

UP NEXT: Dynamo visit Kansas City for Eastern Conference final Rematch

The Dynamo visit LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Saturday for a rematch of the 2011 Eastern Conference final, a 2-0 win for the Dynamo. Houston continues its 14-game streak against Eastern Conference foes with the first of three meetings with SKC.

Injury Report Presented by The Methodist Center for Sports Medicine (As of Friday, June 29)

HOUSTON DYNAMO

OUT: DF Alex Dixon (concussion); MF Calen Carr (L hamstring strain);

DOUBTFUL: MF Je-Vaughn Watson (L adductor strain);

QUESTIONABLE: DF Oscar Recio (concussion)

CHICAGO FIRE

OUT: DF Cory Gibbs (R knee meniscus repair); MF Steven Kinney (R Achilles tendinitis);

DOUBTFUL: GK Paolo Tornaghi (R ankle sprain); FW Federico Puppo (R ankle sprain)

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